Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[LvilleILL1]

I guess it's hard for me and maybe others to understand how the NIL pool works. in my mind we have a bunch of money allocated to get Blackwell and that likely would be less if it's not him. my assumption is there would still be money... so why sit on it. maybe that's not how it works but from the outside that's how it comes across

This is a good question. Illinois has already spent around 15 million this offseason, which is easily top 10 in the country. If you saw what type of numbers teams were willing to pay Mirkovic, Tomi, and Drej, you would be floored. Illinois can afford Blackwell, but they are also confident in the incoming freshman/Vaaks (they spent a ton of Vaaks, Coleman, and Morillo) to fit in really well with your three to five. There's also very high optimism that Ethan Brown will make a impact right away.

Certain people in Blackwells camp did not want him to take the risk of going to Illinois, when Vaaks/Coleman/Drej are all potential breakout pieces and he would have been a secondary option (if those guys breakout).

 

[JSpence]

Call Vegas. Where will they set the over/under for how many SECONDS before student tickets sell out? I'll say 299.

 

[OrangeKrush1981]

There's so many things that are wrong here, not sure where to start.

1) Look around the country. There are not going to be five teams with a better roster than Illinois.

2) ... Quentin Coleman does not need to be as good or better than Wagler to have a better team than last year. Tomi (knock on wood) will be healthier. Mirk DID NOT EVEN GET AN OFFSEASON last year. Imagine what he is going to look like with another seven months working with Fletch. Andrej is likely to make a leap in year two.

Also, Lucas Morillo is getting massively overlooked here. They think Ethan Brown can contribute as well as a depth add. ...

That is one of the best rosters in the country next season and can win a title.

Lots wrong for sure from original poster. Also from you.

Today is April 17th: asserting that there will not be five teams better than the Illini may prove true ( I think so) but honestly, it is ridiculous to assert certainty about other team's rosters at this point. You know that.

Quentin Coleman is probably going to be a major star. I want him to get the attention and minutes he needs to blossom. You are absolutely correct that Quentin does not "need to be as good as or better than Wagler" to have a better team than last year.

I agree, too, that Lucas Morillo is likely going to have a greater impact than some or many here think. On the other hand -- and you know this -- Ethan Brown is unlikely to get the minutes to have a big impact this coming season. I hope he does, but the excellence of this roster suggests he will this year be an important practice player and reserve available in case of foul trouble, illness or injury. That matters. But realistically, he is unlikely (check what that word means) to be on the court in February, March and April. Yeah, April.

This roster is outstanding. It is not bulletproof. I hope it wins it all, for their glory and our joy too. No need to be defensive about this.

 

[aveseaboy]

What happened to getting Blackwell? So we’re downgrading in player quality and are ok with being fine? I don’t care how good we think Coleman is he hasn’t stepped foot on a B1G court in his life

 

[frozenrope9190]

This is a good question. Illinois has already spent around 15 million this offseason, which is easily top 10 in the country. If you saw what type of numbers teams were willing to pay Mirkovic, Tomi, and Drej, you would be floored. Illinois can afford Blackwell, but they are also confident in the incoming freshman/Vaaks (they spent a ton of Vaaks, Coleman, and Morillo) to fit in really well with your three to five. There's also very high optimism that Ethan Brown will make a impact right away.

Certain people in Blackwells camp did not want him to take the risk of going to Illinois, when Vaaks/Coleman/Drej are all potential breakout pieces and he would have been a secondary option.

I hope his Dad still wants him to come here. Even if he doesn't come here.

 

[Todd99]

 

[SkyysNotFalling]

What happened with Blackwell? Does he not want to play with all of our guys? He said he wanted to win a national championship- clearly he wasn’t serious.

But hey- if he wants to be the go to guy at UCLA and get bounced in the first weekend again… by all means

 

[Emerson Bigguns]

I'm not disagreeing with anything you are saying. if that's the roster as is, I'm as excited going into next year at I have been in 20 years and totally agree that's a top 5 team right now.

I guess it's hard for me and maybe others to understand how the NIL pool works. in my mind we have a bunch of money allocated to get Blackwell and that likely would be less if it's not him. my assumption is there would still be money... so why sit on it. maybe that's not how it works but from the outside that's how it comes across. we have heard the final four opened up the pocket books so figured use it all

They may have had someone willing to pony up for Blackwell, doesn’t mean it’s money in a slush fund. More like a grant application. You have to justify the expense to the provider.

How will we be better? Was TJ better as a senior than he was as a junior? If you watched David Mirkovich play and didn’t see the raw materials for a future All-American, I don’t know what to tell you… That kid was just scratching the surface last year, and he was already really good.

Chemistry & connectivity come with reps. All these guys were more or less strangers a year ago. Now they are brothers. If you don’t know why that is important, you need to watch more ball.

 

[EwGroce]

That is one of the best rosters in the country next season and can win a title.

i mean this as a genuine clarification, not disagreeing (especially with an insider ) , but perhaps @wncillini was getting at… instead of “one of the best” wouldn’t we have been THE best with Blackwell? And would go from “can win a title” to “even more likely to win a title?”

 

[Da88]

We were a top ten team last year and have everyone coming back with two incredible freshman guards and one incredible transfer? Vaaks can literally play PG and so can Mirk. Theres only one ball everyone

We need another stud scorer and ball handler. You can never have too many. We were one player hitting their shots v. UConn away from advancing.
We have a fantastic roster, but you need great guard play in March to advance.
Blackwell is another in a long line of big name guards that we hear are near locks, only for it to drag out before they go somewhere else.

 

[wncillini]

There's so many things that are wrong here, not sure where to start.

1) Look around the country. There are not going to be five teams with a better roster than Illinois. There are blue bloods with three to five players total on their roster as we stand with not much runway to add.

2) A lot of people in here said the team before the season started last year was not going to be very good or was super flawed. Illinois just returned 3 guys would would have been TOP FIVE portal players. They also just added a five star level freshman and maybe the best possible (top 15 transfer) portal guard fit for their system.

Quentin Coleman does not need to be as good or better than Wagler to have a better team than last year. Tomi (knock on wood) will be healthier. Mirk DID NOT EVEN GET AN OFFSEASON last year. Imagine what he is going to look like with another seven months working with Fletch. Andrej is likely to make a leap in year two.

Also, Lucas Morillo is getting massively overlooked here. They think Ethan Brown can contribute as well as a depth add. Depending on if Lee sticks around or they add a veteran guard to replace him, that's more depth than you had there this past season.

QC, Vaaks, Drej, Mirkovic, Tomislav, Jake, Big Z, Morillo, Lee (add if he goes), Brown.

That is one of the best rosters in the country next season and can win a title.

Some of yall are very optimistic that we will be better without our best player without major changes. I hope youre right. I just hope we aren't expecting to win because everyone else will be worse. We should at least attempting to construct a team able to beat the best teams from last year. I think with the consolidation of power and money at the top the trend will be upwards with quality of championship teams, not down. Maybe that won't be the case.

 

[mysterio2525]

This is a good question. Illinois has already spent around 15 million this offseason, which is easily top 10 in the country. If you saw what type of numbers teams were willing to pay Mirkovic, Tomi, and Drej, you would be floored. Illinois can afford Blackwell, but they are also confident in the incoming freshman/Vaaks (they spent a ton of Vaaks, Coleman, and Morillo) to fit in really well with your three to five. There's also very high optimism that Ethan Brown will make a impact right away.

Certain people in Blackwells camp did not want him to take the risk of going to Illinois, when Vaaks/Coleman/Drej are all potential breakout pieces and he would have been a secondary option.

fair enough. one thing you have to trust is the staff's ability to evaluate talent. they are crushing that.

I get it if blackwell wants to be the guy then maybe Illinois isn't the best fit. lot of mouths to feed and already studs everywhere

 

[PepeSilvia]

There is no Yaxel-like piece in the portal this year. There is a reason ‘26 Michigan and ‘24 UConn are often quotes. They’re rare.

Duke’s teams the last couple years were Natty teams that couldn’t get it done. Duke even beat Michigan this year.

I think we’re ahead of where Florida 2025, Baylor 2021, and Virginia 2019 were in the buildups to their season. That said, we’ve seen what preseason #1 did to Purdue.

There is no dominant team this upcoming year. It’ll be a roller coaster of a season. And we have to hope we peak at the right time like a Florida 2025 or UVA 2019.

Nobody expected 24 UConn or 26 Michigan to be that dominant preseason.

UConn was coming off a title but they were preseason #6 and had lost 3 of their top 6 in Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson.

Michigan was preseason #7 and had mostly all new guys.

The Cooper Flagg team was definitely a championship caliber team that just couldn't get over the line against Houston but I don't think this years team was champion caliber by March(they barely squeaked by Siena and St Johns before blowing a huge lead to UConn). I think Michigan would have wiped the floor with them in the championship(if Illinois didn't beat them first) with how they were playing in March, even if they beat Michigan in February.

Add Blackwell and I don't see any reason this Illini team can't be the team to beat. You would have there proven veteran perimeter players in Blackwell, Stojakovic, and Vaaks. One of the best frontcourts in the country(Florida has a good one too), a wing shooter in David, and two high upside freshman in Morillo and Coleman.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Just curious: can we not even get Blackwell on a visit to shoot your shot? Sell winning, legacy, vision, etc.

I mean… if UCLA can get him on campus then why can’t we?

 

[Da88]

This is a good question. Illinois has already spent around 15 million this offseason, which is easily top 10 in the country. If you saw what type of numbers teams were willing to pay Mirkovic, Tomi, and Drej, you would be floored. Illinois can afford Blackwell, but they are also confident in the incoming freshman/Vaaks (they spent a ton of Vaaks, Coleman, and Morillo) to fit in really well with your three to five. There's also very high optimism that Ethan Brown will make a impact right away.

Certain people in Blackwells camp did not want him to take the risk of going to Illinois, when Vaaks/Coleman/Drej are all potential breakout pieces and he would have been a secondary option.

If Blackwell's people were worried about him getting tick, then they are underestimating him, not looking out for him.
But watch, he will go somewhere that also equally stacked.

 

[joeybcrazy13]

There's so many things that are wrong here, not sure where to start.

1) Look around the country. There are not going to be five teams with a better roster than Illinois. There are blue bloods with three to five players total on their roster as we stand with not much runway to add.

2) A lot of people in here said the team before the season started last year was not going to be very good or was super flawed. Illinois just returned 3 guys would would have been TOP FIVE portal players. They also just added a five star level freshman and maybe the best possible (top 15 transfer) portal guard fit for their system.

Quentin Coleman does not need to be as good or better than Wagler to have a better team than last year. Tomi (knock on wood) will be healthier. Mirk DID NOT EVEN GET AN OFFSEASON last year. Imagine what he is going to look like with another seven months working with Fletch. Andrej is likely to make a leap in year two.

Also, Lucas Morillo is getting massively overlooked here. They think Ethan Brown can contribute as well as a depth add. Depending on if Lee sticks around or they add a veteran guard to replace him, that's more depth than you had there this past season.

QC, Vaaks, Drej, Mirkovic, Tomislav, Jake, Big Z, Morillo, Lee (add if he goes), Brown.

That is one of the best rosters in the country next season and can win a title.

 

[I lost Kofi's blue binder]

While I agree that this is a national title contender without any more additions, that is contingent on multiple players taking jumps. That wasn’t necessarily the case if one more high-level add were to happen. If your checklist of advantages gets smaller, so does your margin for error. That’s why the Blackwell thing was so exciting—adding a first-team all B1G level player to a roster already somewhere around #4 or #5? Wow.

Immediately pivoting to “ah, but the freshmen are going to be so good” is spin. It’s somewhat compelling spin (and could end up correct!). But it is spin nonetheless, and I’d rather be counting on a fully-developed sure thing to take this team over the top.

Still an absolutely excellent roster and an A-grade offseason. But for a moment there, we were dreaming even bigger.

 

[OneTime3]

Impossible to say the team is worse/better at this point.

Before the tournament, everyone thought we were choking down the stretch and were going to flame out in the second round.

 

[wncillini]

Just curious: can we not even get Blackwell on a visit to shoot your shot? Sell winning, legacy, vision, etc.

I mean… if UCLA can get him on campus then why can’t we?

I expect to lose most recruits head to head to duke. It would be a little frustrating losing a guard who torched us, to one of the other teams with guards who torched us.

 

[RichardKeene’sHair]

If Blackwell's people were worried about him getting tick, then they are underestimating him, not looking out for him.
But watch, he will go somewhere that also equally stacked.

Not about tick. He would be a role player at Illinois.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Vaaks/Coleman is at least = to Boz/Wagler. Much better 3pt shooting on paper.

Obviously anything can happen; that is a hard bet to take however.

Wagler was one of the best players in program history.

Boswell, especially pre injury, had a major impact on this team. On BOTH ends.

I don’t dislike the current roster, but I also have a lot of respect for what those guys accomplished.

 

[LvilleILL1]

If Blackwell's people were worried about him getting tick, then they are underestimating him, not looking out for him.
But watch, he will go somewhere that also equally stacked.

He would play a ton at Illinois, that's not the issue. The issue is there are only so many mouths to feed. Illinois already has several high usage players.

Look at Louisville, Shelstad kind of is what he is at this point. Flory is great but he's not high usage offensively. UCLA has some high floor guys, but he will get more overall touches there. With Vaaks, there's a pretty clear path to a major jump. Coleman has a chance to be really good quickly. Andrej year two, not to mention Mirkovic/Tomislav will have the ball a ton. Morillo has a chance to be better than people think too.

Illinois is still interested in adding at some point, but it just got clearer the last few days that the role and usage may not be what he wanted. Andrej coming back may not happen if Blackwell is in the fold. Which stinks because he said he wants to win a title.

 

[CMC]

All of loyalty waiting for Indy to post his Blackwell update!

Not all of us. I am smart enough to know that the updates are basically a coin toss, in terms of accuracy.

 

[cookie86]

This is a good question. Illinois has already spent around 15 million this offseason, which is easily top 10 in the country. If you saw what type of numbers teams were willing to pay Mirkovic, Tomi, and Drej, you would be floored. Illinois can afford Blackwell, but they are also confident in the incoming freshman/Vaaks (they spent a ton of Vaaks, Coleman, and Morillo) to fit in really well with your three to five. There's also very high optimism that Ethan Brown will make a impact right away.

Certain people in Blackwells camp did not want him to take the risk of going to Illinois, when Vaaks/Coleman/Drej are all potential breakout pieces and he would have been a secondary option (if those guys breakout).

Use it to get a DT for the football team

 

[Umit9]

Welcome to the Illini Zavier. Hoping to watch him work himself into a role as an Illini for years.

Go Illini